Brown and Ivory Print Silk Dress

circa 1900
VC1992012

Made circa 1900, this dress comes at the transition from the Victorian era to the 20th century. The dress shows how vibrant rather than stuffy the era was, and shows evolving notions of female movement in dress. The pattern is the work of a particular season, giving the dress its own time stamp and proving its wearer to be an upper class lady. The unique fit of the ensemble to her body is both a display of the woman’s wealth, but it also shows a willingness in fashion to accommodate different needs. As an article in Harper’s Bazaar noted, very few women were lucky enough to have the exact proportions necessary for the season’s fashions. While women could make up for this somewhat through corsetry, by turning to tailors they showed the clothes should above all fit their bodies rather than forcing their bodies to fit their clothes. By taking on a ‘novelty’ print and having the garment fit to her, the woman who wore the brown and cream silk ensemble was both daring and savvy. In this outfit, she walked the line between wearing her personality on her bodice sleeves and devoutly following the world of fashion.

In terms of preservation, the skirt had to be re-pleated onto a new waistband, and extensive work went into replacing torn sections of the bodice lining and encapsulating the tears throughout the center front section of the bodice.

Researched and Stabilized by Molly Turpin ‘12